


my hesitation is the enemy, i guess this is the end of me

by LaynaVile



Series: Whumptober 2020 [2]
Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: Blood and Injury, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Fall (Hannibal), Stitches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26833009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaynaVile/pseuds/LaynaVile
Summary: He can taste blood and the pain is edging on unbearable, but he has to say this, he has to tell Hannibal the truth, "When I took us over the cliff, I wanted to die, and I didn't want you to live without me, but when we hit the water I couldn't do it. I couldn't let you die. I knew the only way that could happen is if I saved you, which meant I had'ta save myself too."Hannibal smiles softly at him, before it quickly becomes a frown. "Damnit, Will."He's never heard Hannibal curse before, and even now it's nothing too vulgar but it makes his heart beat faster."You're bleeding again."
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Series: Whumptober 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1957300
Comments: 6
Kudos: 130





	my hesitation is the enemy, i guess this is the end of me

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Whumptober alt prompt - Stitches
> 
> \--
> 
> Title from Can't Look Back by Machine Gun Kelly.
> 
> \--
> 
> As always no beta so all mistakes are my own.
> 
> \--
> 
> Enjoy😌

Dragging Hannibal out of the frigid water is a struggle, not only is Will himself injured, he has to be cautious of Hannibal's injury. He does not want to aggravate the wound further, nor does he want to get debris into it, the dirty salt water is bad enough.

He gets Hannibal up onto the bank, his cheek and shoulder are screaming at him, but he ignores them to focus on Hannibal. He is unconscious, breathing shallow. But his pulse is steady. Blood steadily seeps from his wound--Will knows he has to tend to it as soon as possible. His own wounds leak blood all over himself and Hannibal, but he cannot focus on them now, he has to get Hannibal somewhere safe, somewhere he can treat him.

They cannot go back to the cliffside house--Jack will be there soon, no doubt--but the cliffside house may be their best option, Hannibal will have medical supplies there. With what little strength he has last Will lifts Hannibal over his shoulder, he knows the position can't be good for Hannibal's gunshot wound, but he knows there is no possible way he would be able to carry Hannibal in his arms--the way Hannibal had carried him to safety, away from Mason Verger.

Tears well up in Will's eyes at the memory, and perhaps from the pain, but he keeps going, he walks and walks until he physically cannot. There is a small seaside hut maybe a hundred yards from where he collapses.

**_"I've failed us again."_ ** He thinks. **_"I took us over that cliff because I did not want to live any longer, nor did I want you to survive without me."_ ** Will clutches at Hannibal's hand, and then everything goes black.

\--

Will's eyes open slowly, the room is dimly lit, and he's naked beneath a blanket. He immediately feels the presence of stitches in his cheek, he doesn't have the strength to reach up to feel his shoulder, but no doubt there are some there as well.

He glances around the room--it's unfamiliar and the decor tells him that it does not belong to Hannibal. He also notes that it is not a hospital room nor the hospital wing of a prison--so they haven't been apprehended. There is an empty bird cage near the closed door, he wonders where the bird is now.

Will opens his mouth to call out for Hannibal, but quickly closes it. **_"What if Hannibal hasn't killed the owner and gave them fake names for us?"_**

Exhaustion and pain overcome him soon enough and he slips off into unconsciousness again.

\--

The next time Will awakens he is not alone. The room is even darker than before, but he can _feel_ someone's presence, he can feel them watching him.

He doesn't speak and he barely breathes--he hopes whomever is in the room with him is Hannibal, but for all he knows Hannibal is dead, be it from blood loss and trauma or the owner of the _house_ they're in.

"Will?" His name is spoken quietly.

Relief floods Will, "Hannibal?" He says, his voice is hoarse and quiet--barely more than a whisper, his throat is dry and he feels as if there's cotton shoved in his mouth. He tries to push himself up, to sit against the pillows, his shoulder protests the movement, sending sharp pain across his shoulders and down his back and arm.

Hannibal's hand comes to rest against Will's uninjured shoulder, "Stay still."

Will complies, "Where are we?"

"A seaside shack."

"Did you kill the owner?" He truly doesn't care if Hannibal did, but he'd like to _know_.

"I was in no state to kill anyone."

"So where are they?"

"Dear Chiyoh handled them."

"She's here?"

"I had been in contact with her, she was watching the cliffside house when we fought The Great Red Dragon."

"She let you get shot? She shot me before I could even get the knife out of my pocket."

"I had instructed her not to interfere unless she thought it was necessary."

"So you getting shot and my getting stabbed didn't warrant her to take the shot and kill him?"

"I'd told her we were to kill The Dragon, if we were not succeeding then she was to take the shot and tend to any wounds we had sustained." Hannibal clears his throat, "Let me get you a glass of water and then we can continue this if you'd like." He doesn't wait for Will to respond, he stands slowly--Will's eyes have adjusted to the darkness enough to see vague shapes--and exits the small room, he leaves the door open and Will can hear the water running faintly.

"When did she deem interference necessary?" He asks quietly when Hannibal returns.

One of Hannibal's hands slips behind Will's head, tilting it upward slightly, he brings the glass to Will's lips and helps him drink. He waits until Will has finished, he sets the nearly empty glass onto the bedside table. "She only interfered once you took us over the cliff."

Will's face heats with embarrassment--he's not ashamed of what he did, in the moment that was what he wanted. But knowing that Chiyoh was watching them, that she saw Will lay his head against Hannibal's chest before they went over--that she saw him so vulnerable embarrasses him.

"She followed us down as quickly as she could safely, but we were nowhere to be seen. It seems you dragged me from the water then carried me for quite a ways before you collapsed. Chiyoh informed me she found us with you clutching my hand."

"Had'ta get us somewhere, you were unconscious and bleedin' and I-I," Will can't help the tears. The sobbing pulls at the stitches in his cheek--the pain is worse than when the knife actually entered his flesh. The motion also brings to his attention the sutures in his gums and the two missing teeth.

"Settle, Will, you're going to rip the stitches. It's alright, _we're_ alright."

He can taste blood and the pain is edging on unbearable, but he has to say this, he has to tell Hannibal the truth, "When I took us over the cliff, I wanted to die, and I didn't want you to live without me, but when we hit the water I couldn't do it. I couldn't let you die. I knew the only way that could happen is if I saved you, which meant I had'ta save myself too."

Hannibal smiles softly at him, before it quickly becomes a frown. "Damnit, Will."

He's never heard Hannibal curse before, and even now it's nothing too vulgar but it makes his heart beat faster.

"You're bleeding again." He pulls gauze from somewhere--Will is in far too much pain to notice and tears cloud his vision. Hannibal dabs at the blood running down his cheek, onto his jaw, behind his ear and likely dripping onto the pillowcase beneath his head. "I'm going to have to take these out and redo them."

Will isn't listening--he knows what Hannibal is saying, but he's not finished talking. "I love you." His words are slurred and he swallows a mouthful of blood, but Hannibal understands him, he's sure of it.

Hannibal's hand stills on Will's cheek, he breathes in sharply. "Truly, mylimasis?"

Will wants to kiss him, so he does. He doesn't let the pain and blood deter him, he leans up quickly--he feels dizzy from pain or moving too quickly--he presses his lips to Hannibal's. There is blood in his mouth and on his face, but he doesn't care, his lips part, tongue coated in bloody saliva darts out to lick against Hannibal's lips. His mouth opens and Will doesn't hesitate to push his way inside, _feeling_ and _tasting_ Hannibal.

The kiss ends when Will physically cannot hold himself up any longer.

"Let me take care of you now." Hannibal murmurs.

And Will let's him--he endures the pain of the sutures being removed and replaced. Before the pain overtakes him again he weakly asks, "One more kiss before I go?" His intent is not to sound ominous, but the connotation is there. He doesn't mean go as in dying, but once he speaks it that's all he thinks. He doesn't want to die any longer, he never wants to be separated from Hannibal again.

"You're not leaving me so soon, mylimasis." Hannibal kisses him again, it's soft and barely more than a peck, but it's the last thing Will feels before the darkness consumes him.

**Author's Note:**

> Wanna send me a prompt? Check the pinned post on my [Tumblr](https://laynavile.tumblr.com/) and send 'em in.


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